Stephen



UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.Y

STEPHEN C. MENDENHALL, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA.

LOOM.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,790, dated October 10, 1854.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, STEPHEN C. MENDEN- HALL, of Richmond, in the county of lVayne and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Looms which are applicable to power looms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, making a part of this specification, which represents a perspective view of the loom with portions of the frame removed to show the operating parts.

The nature of my invention consists in the method of operating the treadles or springing the shed for weaving any kind of fabrics, applicable to all kinds of looms.

It consists in the arrangement and combination of a pattern wheel, van inclined plane wedge shaped or inclined cam bar on the lay frame, and wedged shaped or inclined end treadles, whereby, the warp is sprung by the combined action of the pattern wheel and wedged-shaped bar 'and treadle endsthe pattern wheel acting directly upon the treadles on the forward action of the lay, adjusting the treadles, and preparing them for the direct action of the lay, which having attached to it the wedge-shaped or inclined plane bar, acts upon the wedge-shaped ends of the treadles, springing them to their full extent at each backward movement of the lay. By this arrangement any number of treadles can be operated, and that accomplished at pleasure, seamless bags or any kind of fabric, produced by it; and the necessary change to produce variegated fabrics can be made instantly and without taking the warp from the loom, by simply and merely adjusting the movable pins of the pattern wheel as circumstances may require; and the machinery is so simple that no-ne of the parts are liable to get out of order, and the whole can be constructed by an ordinary carpenter.

The construction and operation is fully described as follows: I construct the frame (A) of my loom in the ordinary manner, and use heddle frames (B) which slide up and down in vertical grooves in the stanchions (C) and connect them with the treadles by the jointed rods (a a a o) which may be made adjustable by screws and nuts, so as to regulate the height and depth of the shed.

The drawing represents a loom for weaving plain four leaved fabric. The pins in the pattern wheel D and the number of treadles E are limited for that purpose but it is obvious that these can be adapted or weaving any description of fabric. The lay beam is represented to its full extent on its backward motion, showing the warp sprung or shed. The said pattern wheel D is suspended in vertical bearings" by projecting beam F F, attached to the underside of the cross-tie G, having helical or spiral springs H H supporting their outer bearings I I, so that it will rise and fall with the treadles and so that it (said wheel) will be kept in position at each backward movement of the lay, to cause the pins (b) (for regulating the order of the sheds) to raise the treadles in their order sufficient to be -acted upon` by the wedgeshaped or inclined plane beam J of the lay. The wheel D is operated by the direct action of the lay on its forward movement by the hook K, which is attached to the wedge-shaped beam by a bolt or pin, and a helical spring N keeps it down to its work, causing it to act upon pins R arrangedV on the wheel or disk D, which pins must correspond in number ,with the treadles. The lay beam moves on centers at 0 o in the usual manner and .is arranged as in my patent dated Nov. 1852, with the exception of the wedge shaped or inclined beam.

The wedge shaped or inclined plane beam J, extends across and is firmly attached to and moves with the lay frame, and is placed in said frame at such a height, and the wedge part of it P is inclined or beveled both at top and bottom and so are the ends of the treadles s0 as to cause a double action by the wedge P on the beam J, which wedge acts upon bothl sides, the top and bottom of the wedge shaped ends of the treadles, separating the treadles on the backward motion of the lay, they having been elevated by the pins R at each forward movement of the What I claim as neit7 by Letters Patent is,

Opening the shed by a pattern wheel so arranged with its parts as that while its rotary motion commences the openin of the shed, it shall have a vertically yiel ing motion to, and with the treadles, when combined with a wedge-Shaped bar, on the lay,

and desire to secure narranged to separate the ,treadles and thus signed my name before two subscribing Witeomplete the opening of the shed, both the nesses. pattern Wheel and Wedge-shaped loerV beingmoved by the lay, substantially in the Inanu STEPEIEN C MENDENHALL' 5 ner and for the purpose set forth and repre- Witnesses:

sented. SAML. GRUBB,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto J. BECKWITH WEST. 

